A typical electric distribution configuration has a transformer which steps medium voltage down to a few hundred volts AC (typically between 100 and 240 VAC). The Low Voltage (LV) is fed to several homes.
Referring to FIG. 1, the typical electric power distribution architecture is illustrated. No filter or other barrier is employed to isolate data from one residence to the next. Using this architecture for a power line communications system, typically a power line signal containing the data will be fed at the transformer. There are four potential problems with this topology for communications.
First, the bandwidth is shared between plural subscribers. Second, noise from another subscriber using a different type of power line communication system or noise from another subscriber's appliances may cause interference. Third, subscribers using the same system can interact with each other. Fourth, since one subscriber receives the other subscriber's data, there is a lack of security.
Thus, what is needed is a way of isolating data from subscriber to subscriber to alleviate the problems discussed above.